I should restring my violin soon and just wondered what everyone's preferences are in terms of strings. I have only restrung my full size twice and both times have used dominants, but am open to experimentation, as long as it's not too expensive!

Thanks.

Dominants for AD & G have been fine. For E I use a Hill Special - not so strident

yes, like katyjay, I always use dominant GDA strings. I currently use a Larsen Gold E though. Would be experimenting with a full larsen set soon, though. Dominant Es aren't too good... they've been too unreliable (occasionally producing that empty airy sound when I bow the open string).

Pirazzi's good too, if you like a darker tone.

I have Dominants on my Zeller which work well on it, even the E string which sounds very rich and full. Next time I need to change the strings I might try Obligatos or Karneols but that won't be for some time as the Zeller is now my back-up fiddle.

My Guarnerius copy I have fitted with Warchal Karneols which give a wonderful complexity of sound and play well from pp to sfz.
I do have a set of Warchal Brilliants which will go onto that violin when the Karneols need changing.

Different violins like different strings. What suits mine might not suit yours and vice versa. It's a bit like trial and error but can be expensive if you keep buying different sets to try.

(I have had both Obbligatos and Pirazzi on Giuseppe. Both work well. Caprice has Dominants with a Hill E)

Dominants seem to work consistently well so I suggest you try those first. If you are happy then stick with them, if not try something else next time. And yes...use a different E. As Katyjay says, a Hill E is a good idea.

I put Obligatos on my Dad's violin and it sounds gorgeous. I have Pirazzi on mine and I don't like the E.

I started off with Dominants and have no complaints - as others have said, they are a good all-round string and not too pricey. I've started to experiment myself now!

I'm currently using Pirazzis on my 'old' violin - which work brilliantly and have definitely improved the tone/projection - and Obligatos on my 'new' violin - to give it a more 'mature' tone. You can get them for under £30 if you shop around on the internet.

The Pirazzi E that I have is a ball-end (I need a loop) so I haven't changed that one (not sure what the string is that is on there at the moment - it came with the violin and goes well with the Pirazzis). I have been recommended Pirastro Universal E by violin teacher if ever I need to change.

I use Vision Titanium Solos. They're powerful and bright so it depends on your violin. It suits mine pretty well but I'd like a change of the E string. It whistles ALOT.

Any votes for Helicores? These have been my favourite strings so far, but maybe I should experiement a bit more.....

I like them for viola, but I'm beginning to think the sound is maybe a tiny bit ... well, one-dimensional, if you know what I mean. It's a good strong sound, but it isn't all that interesting. Does that make any sense?

I gave helicores a go and found that they responded very well for the incredibly fast ornaments required in traditional fiddling, which was fine in reel and jig playing, but I found they were indeed very one dimensional and this really came out when playing airs and laments - there was just no hidden beauty to the tone at all - it was what it was and nothing more, no overtones or anything.

On the upside they were very very stable where tuning was concerned -sometimes, the fiddle didn't need fine tuning at all when I picked it up (bearing in mind that I play outdoors, on festival stages, in pubs and bars and in the odd concert hall as part of a dance troupe so there are constant temperature changes too).

I eventually took them off because the lack of overtones bothered me, but I liked their fast response and stability.

In response to the original poster - I use obligatos and dominants on my fiddles, I have used pirazzi in the past, but probably wouldn't again, yet some people swear by them - it really comes down to your fiddle, your own preference and the set up of your fiddle.

If you can tell us what you don't like about your current strings, we may be able to advise you on specific brands, but don't just change for changing's sake. The violin is such a horribly tempremental evil thing (which is why we love it so ) that when something works, just leave it be and rejoice to whatever divinity you fancy that your fiddle is in tune and sounding nice!

Allan

yeah, like primrose, all the violists in my orchestra use Helicores. One or two use Pirazzi, though. Probably isn't worth the price getting helicores for violin. Dominants are the best value for money, and even professionals use them.

Rather than re-posting here, this is the link to another recent thread about strings. In my post on this thread, there are links to two articles which you might find helpful.

I use Obligato for three reasons:

1. They give just about the closest sound to gut as you can get, without all the aggro gut gives in return.

2. A warm and well rounded tone that suits both my violin and my style of playing.

3. Their less strident volume allows them to blend far better in ensemble than Evah Pirrazi strings.

I've gone back to using Dominant G,D(silver)and A, with a Pirastro Wondertone E. This works really well for me. Good luck!

I like to use Corelli and Pirastro strings. I find they tend to suit my violin better than domiannts



HK

Dominant GDA and Larsen Gold E for me.

I used to like Larsen Set and the Vision Titanium Solos/Orchestra but they are not lasting compared to dominant. Dominant is more value for $$.

I use Dominants because they're good all-round strings and they always give you a warning before they break. Other strings often don't, and nothing can be worse in the middle of a performance!!!

Tonica strings work well on mine. I use dominants for my viola.

I use Pirastro Eudoxa strings and love them. I've only ever had one broken string too!

Hi there,

I like Corelli Crystal. Currently have Dominant Strings but am not too happy with them. They're not really bad either.
As a child, I used to have Pirastro Eudoxa, but expecially the A string used to 'squeak' often.
However, I also agree it depends very much on the instrument.

I use jargar strings for my 'cello (C and G 'forte', D and A 'medium') I've used this set-up for a few months and I won't use any other I like it so much I would like to try various other makes of strings (when I have the money)

Come to think of it, is it possible that the absence of overtones might actually be an advantage for beginners? Does it make easier to tell whether you are in tune?

The volume of Helicores is a possible advantage for violists who are heavily outnumbered by violins!

I have a Gliga Gama violin and at the moment it still has the original Dominant strings that it came with. After 18 months, I figure these might be due for a change soon... Does anyone else have one of these and, if so, what have you found to suit your instrument?

I use Pirastro Tonica strings on viola and like these much better than Dominant. When I tried a Tonica string on the violin it sounded horrible!

W

I use Larsens for my Cello, they're fantastic for me! Lovely tone, but rather pricey lol

I know a few people with Gama's and they like Eva Pirazzi strings with them.
You could also try Warchal Brilliants which would also brighten the sound like the Evas.
Of course string choice depends on the sound you're looking for, if you've been happy with the Dominants stick with them, at least they're cheaper than many alternatives.

I put Evah Pirazzi strings on my Gama and it made a huge difference. I've never like Dominants on any of the violins I have played - they seem very scratchy.

I put Obligatos on my Dad's violin and they sound wonderful (but so does the violin so I'm not sure how much of that is the strings )

That's interesting - I feel the same about the Dominants... (I thought it was just me...)

W

Me too.

Well, I've been lured into ordering a set of Evah Pirazzi strings for my violin - now to see whether they can transform my playing...

(I don't think so... )

W

They haven't managed to transform my playing I'm afraid but they have certainly transformed the violin! The sound is much clearer (not scratchy!) and rings out beautifully! I'd like to try the same thing on my viola but think I might have to save up a bit...

W

My son went to Robin Atchinson to do a string trial on his cello last summer and ended up with three different types of string to get the sound he wanted. It was cheaper than buying lots of different strings and I doubt he'd have found the combination on his own. It made an amazing difference to the sound and shows that different strings suit different instrument.

Oh that's the guy from the "Aitchison Mnatzaganian" company isn't it? I met them at the cello festival, but unfortunately didn't play their instruments. Is it a good cello?

Dominants cannot last at all! I used to use them for years (silly me) and had to change strings every month or so. But after switching to Evah that solved the problem and my violin sounds soooo much better and powerful. Must try the Thomastik Vision titanium thingys next.. apparently that's as good.

Oh that's the guy from the "Aitchison Mnatzaganian" company isn't it? I met them at the cello festival, but unfortunately didn't play their instruments. Is it a good cello?

/quote]
Yes, that the man. Very good on cellos. Run's his business from home and was very friendly and welcoming to us. The cello is French c1870. It's been around a bit and has had quite a few serious repairs over its lifetime but it sounds great.

I am now completely bowled over! Having restrung my violin recently with Evah Pirazzi strings and being wildly impressed, I decided to invest(!) in a set of Evah viola strings. Have just tried them for the first time and - Wow! They don't make me play any better - but the mistakes sound fab!

W

I've got Evah's on my violin...hmmm never thought of viola ones, might have to make on investment!

I'm going to get some. Since I play nothing but mistakes, I'll sound fantastic.

I have a Hill E string on my violin and sometimes it's like the string doesn't vibrate and the bow just 'grates' and produces the most horrible high pitched scrape...

Is this me or the string???